Black Bean and Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
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This make-ahead black bean and corn salad is a real crowd-pleaser. Bonus: it doubles as a dip!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Perhaps the best compliment this salad ever received was from one of my readers, who confessed to me, “I’m having an affair with this salad…please don’t tell anyone.” Another reader told me that she made this salad for a party, and later found one of her guests in her study, printing out copies of the recipe to hand out. It’s just one of those crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipes that everyone loves. Whether I serve it with grilled chicken or as a dip with tortilla chips (highly recommend!), the bowl is always empty and the plates are always full.
This recipe is similar to my popular Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette. The difference is that this version is dressed in a smoky and sweet chipotle-honey vinaigrette, similar to Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette. I think you will love both variations!
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean and Corn Salad
In addition to the basics, the recipe calls for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These are small peppers (usually red jalapeños) that have been dried and smoked that come in a spicy, smoky tomato sauce. I love their flavor and am always looking for ways to incorporate them into recipes (see these baja fish tacos and these chipotle chicken quesadillas).
You can find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets. Once you open a can, you can transfer any remaining peppers to a plastic container and store in the refrigerator for at least a month. You can also freeze them.
Step-by-step Instructions
Begin by cooking the corn. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and simmer, covered, for about ten minutes, then cut the kernels off the cob. Next, chop the red onions, soak them in cold water for about ten minutes, then drain; this takes the sharp raw onion taste away. (If you’re a raw onion lover, feel free to skip this step.)
Rinse and drain the black beans.
Then make the dressing. Simply combine all of the ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing over top.
Toss and refrigerate for at least one hour or, preferably, overnight. The salad tastes infinitely better cold, especially once the flavors have a chance to marry and the vegetables soak up some of the dressing.
Right before serving, add the avocado and gently toss. Enjoy!
you May Also Like
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken
- Baja Fish Tacos
- Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Guacamole
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Black Bean & Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
This make-ahead black bean and corn salad is a real crowd-pleaser. Bonus: it doubles as a dip!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
- 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro (plus a bit more for garnish, if desired)
- 1 avocado
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (2 peppers, not 2 cans; use smaller peppers and if they are all large, use only 1½)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and let cool.
- Meanwhile, place the chopped red onions in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit about ten minutes, then drain completely in a sieve and set aside.
- Place the beans in a sieve; run under cold water to rinse well. Let drain completely and set aside.
- Holding the cooled corn upright in a large bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips. Add the beans, red onion, red bell pepper and cilantro.
- Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor; process until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
- Right before serving, slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit; using a butter knife, cut a grid in each half. Holding the avocado halves over the salad, use a spoon to scoop out the diced flesh. Toss the salad gently, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a squeeze of fresh lime to freshen it up). Garnish with a bit of fresh chopped cilantro if desired. Serve cold.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: approximately 1 cup
- Calories: 357
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 12 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 306 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is my first time to ever review a recipe. I made this today for a family gathering and everyone loved it. I did add some sliced grape tomatoes and before adding the chipotle peppers, I removed the seeds, as they add extra heat. I learned a really easy way to cook corn on the cob. Put one ear in the microwave, husk and all, cook on high for 4 minutes. After removing it from the microwave, cut off the end, the one that was attached to the corn stalk. Then squeeze it from the opposite it, work with it, and the corn will slide right out! Clean and can be and deliciously sweet!! It worked great! And putting the red onion in a water bath, while you prepare the rest of the salad, really did help to cut the overwhelming power of the onion. Loved the salad and will be making it for other get togethers. Thanks!
Well, I went ahead and made the other vinaigrette just because I had the ingredients and wanted to put it all together. Planning on serving it for dinner guests tomorrow night. My husband and daughter came in from a hike and put their spoons in the bowl and LOVED it!!! It was not too bland…I may have added one chipotle pepper too many but it has a real kick and so much flavor!! Plus, I have a bottle of it to use for something else!!! Thank you, Jenn. Tomorrow I try the Thai Crunch Salad w/Peanut Dressing to complete the meal!!!
I too made the black bean and chipotle salad, delish, and I made the Crunchie Thai. Since it had a peanut sauce, I added peanuts for added crunch and red cabbage for color, as someone else had suggested. Plus, since I still had some of those chipotle peppers left, I threw a small one into the dressing of the Thai salad.
The black bean and chipotle salad was just about gone and I still had lots of the crunchie thai, but that’s okay, I really liked that one and will be having it for lunch tomorrow. I think you will like that one too.
What would happen if I prepare the BlackBean and Corn Salad but use the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette recipe that is separate and a little different than the one with the salad? There is no cumin and the measurements are different.
Thanks! Everything looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Nancy, I would stick with this dressing (you can always omit the cumin if you like); it’s very similar to the other one only more tangy and flavorful. The other dressing is delicious on greens but you definitely need more intensity for a bean salad; otherwise the overall flavor will be bland. Hope that helps!
I had a BBQ with a few guest. I wanted something besides the usual coleslaw and potato salad. I made the corn/bean salad and it was a hit especially with my vegetarian friends including me. Love the protein aspect. Will make again.
I can see why this is your most popular recipe! I made this for my boyfriend and he LOVED it. He took one bite and was blown away. He even called it “restaurant quality” and suggested I send the recipe to his mom, one of the best cooks that I know. I will definitely be making it again! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
This was the first recipe that I tried from this site. The success of which, swayed me to try others on here.
I really enjoyed this recipe. It give me another use of the canned chipotle peppers we keep on hand. Super easy to make, very flavorful, and dare I say. . . .healthy?
The sauce is a standout. I’m going to try it on many things. As mentioned, it kept well overnight, and I even used up the excess when I made chili later in the week. (Corn was a bit of a stretch in my typical chili, but all the flavors worked well!)
Great salad, very tasty. Would be great served with grilled chicken, shrimp or beef – or even cheese quesadillas.
Just made this with my daughter-in-law and we followed the recipe as stated. What a great keeper this is!
I am on an extremely low sodium diet. I think I can modify this for me but need to know what you think I could used instead of the canned peppers in adobe sauce. Am assuming that the will have a lot of sodium. any hints for a fresh pepper/seasoning?
Hi RuthAnn, I’d make this recipe instead:
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/black-bean-salad-with-corn-red-peppers-avocado-lime-cilantro-vinaigrette.html
It’s very similar but without the chipotle peppers, so you can control the sodium. Hope you enjoy it!
Think I will try the first recipe without the addition of 3/4 tsp salt. May increase the cayenne pepper as I tend to use spice/pepper to enhance instead of salt. Looked for peppers in sauce at store. am located in Seattle Area.. is there a specific brand which I could look for? Thank you for getting back to me. The picture made me hungry and eager to try. Will let all know how I doctor and how it turns out. There are so few true low sodium recipes out there.
I love the taste of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and I appreciate your use of this yummy ingredient in many of your recipes! I have made a version of this recipe before but this one has become my favorite by far! I made this with the Chipotle chicken quesadillas-also 5 star! My husband ant three teen boys were amazed!